Pastoral Message

by The Rev. Dr. Randall K. Bush

Consider these two short biographies:
1: Born in 1830, she was the daughter of a strict Calvinist father. Had a shy disposition and frail health, but was a talented writer, musician and gardener. Apart from one trip to Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia, she did not travel much beyond her home in Amherst, Mass. By her late 20s, she lived in almost complete seclusion, only speaking to most visitors from behind slightly-open doors. Less than a dozen of her poems were published during her lifetime. Died of kidney disease in 1886, at the age of 55.

2: Born in 1874 and died in 1963, at the age of 88. One marriage, six children. Fairly poor when young. Involved in farming and, later, teaching jobs in various schools. Not much traveling until late in his life; he mostly resided in New England. Said Joseph Brodsky: "If biography accounts for poetry, this one should have resulted in none."

What qualifies as a good life? We often put a lot of emphasis on the height, breadth, and length of a person's life. We list off their accomplishments in résumés and obituary notices, telling of the heights they conquered through perseverance and hard work. We describe the far-reaching influences of people through noting the breadth of lives they touched in a wide range of settings. We celebrate the longevity of their lives, especially when the length exceeds 70 or 80 years. Those are all admirable traits and are well worth noting. However, a fourth dimension is lacking in the above summary. A good life is usually one marked by an exceptional depth. Depth in life may be hard to measure, but, like good art, you know it when you encounter it. It involves a grounded spirit and a trustworthy character. It involves a willingness to commit for the long haul, to see things through to the end. It's similar to a swimming hole in which it's safe to dive in deeply, a beloved spot in which waves and turbulence are rarely present. It's a personal interior, rich in treasures and wisdom from whose storehouse others benefit by receiving advice, counsel, and inspiration.

Depth can be found in people who never travel very far in their lives, who never gain widespread fame or ascend to peaks of popularity in the world's eyes. It's primarily a spiritual quality. It's most commonly found in people at peace with themselves and with others, people active in prayer and quick to say "Thank You," and people committed to leaving the world a bit better for their having walked upon this earth for a brief span of time. To aspire to lead a life of depth is a holy and a precious thing.

By the way, the biographies summarized above are of the American poets Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost. After her death, a trove of over 1,700 poems was found in Dickinson's trunks, securing her place as a preeminent American poet. Frost, the only poet to win four Pulitzer Prizes, harvested from his quiet New England life a rich array of verse that still inspires and touches lives today. Lives of depth, indeed.

"Earth's the right place for love: I don't know where it's likely to go better."
- Birches, by Robert Frost
"Who has not found the heaven below will fail of it above."
- Emily Dickinson
"God's residence is next to mine, His furniture is love."
- Emily Dickinson

Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 2:4,5)

If we're to take all of these poems seriously, then let us seek to lead lives of depth.